The Destiny of Hearts
by My5tic-Lali
Summary: Separate stories and separate lives; but their destinies become intertwined because of the ties that bind their hearts together. /Mostly unconnected drabbles that stretch through time and oblivion and darkness, to all of the characters of Kingdom Hearts.
1. Commitment (Riku, CoM)

-SPOILERS THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF KH II-

* * *

 _ **|||Chain of Memories & 358/2 Days|||**_

It's one long year, to say the least.

Longest one Riku's ever known.

The days are painful and drag by, and it's nerve-wracking, watching Namine re-write Sora's memories. At first, Riku was consumed with worry. _What if she doesn't get the one when Sora and I got detention for pranking Wakka? What about the time he and I and Kairi snuck out to the island to watch the stars all night because there was supposed to be a meteor shower, only Sora got the date wrong and we ended up alone all night out there in the cold? What happens if she misses one? Will Sora be the same? Will he wake up?_

Ansem sends him on tasks, whenever there's something to be done, and Riku just hopes it does something to speed it up, because there's no visual sign of progress. He can't stand this for much longer, can't deal with knowing Sora's trapped in that box, forced asleep— _Not that he used to need any encouragement for that_ , Riku thinks exasperatedly; Sora would fall asleep if you left him alone for five minutes—can't deal with the inescapable knowledge that _this is all his fault_ , if Riku hasn't done that _one thing…_

It haunts him at night, when he can't sleep, and even when he can it comes to him in nightmares. He'd been aware—if dimly—during his battle with Sora, before the whole Castle of Oblivion and _finding-his-way-to-light_ thing, and although he'd been forced away and not himself, Riku had watched Sora give up his heart for Kairi and the other Princesses of Heart. He'd watched as Sora fell, shattering into pieces like glass, lost to the darkness just as Riku had been— _still was, mostly—_ and sorrow and shame consumes his veins with every reminder of that. He remembers the look on Sora's face when he'd realized Riku was with Maleficent, when Riku had taken the Keyblade, and every night just adds to the guilt tearing him up.

On the days when nothing else is going on, he visits Sora. It's not easy, to know that Sora is stuck there, trapped, because of him, to know that Sora had no real choice in the matter, no real ability to protect himself from this. Sora looks peaceful, but Riku knows he's not—Namine has said that his rest might help repair his memories, but it does nothing to mask the pain of being unmade then made again, does not give Sora rest or peace, won't until the pieces are back in place.

Then comes the heart-stopping day when Riku can't remember Sora's name for a minute, can't place the face of his best friend, doesn't even remember why he's with DiZ and Namine. It takes him a good couple minutes before it comes back to him in jagged bits and pieces, and the guilt and overwhelming desire to see his best friend again, to talk to him, to hit him over the back of his head, fills every part of his being.

Namine just smiles slightly when he rushes to see Sora that day, recognizing the panic in his face.

"I would have warned you," she explains in her soft way, "But it wouldn't have helped. And since you're here, the memories can't be gone from you for long. Everyone else, though, their memories will take a little longer."

Riku was too busy staring at Sora, committing every inch of his face to memory again, afraid of losing the knowledge again, he didn't really respond for a minute. His mind was flying from occurrence to occurrence in his past, trying to see if there were any gaps, to see if there was any childhood memory missing, any thing gone from its place.

"Even if I did forget about him…" Riku questions eventually, "… or about anything that happened before, I wouldn't even realize it was gone… would I?"

Namine's smile slips slightly, and Riku had to repress thoughts of how Kairi had the same expression sometimes. "No…" She replies, almost sorrowfully, almost guiltily. "You wouldn't even know it had ever been there."

"Then how do I know you haven't made me forget other things? Other memories?" The question is accusing, and Riku knew it, but he didn't regret it until he sees hurt flash across Namine's face briefly.

"You don't," She responds simply, after a moment, tone even despite the sadness flickering in her eyes.

"You just have to trust me, I guess." She finishes with a shrug and the ghost of a smile.

Finally, Riku turns to look at her. "I guess so." And surprisingly, he did. He trusted her, even though she could be doing _anything_ to Sora's memories, and Riku could do next to nothing to stop her.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it was one he had to live with until she could get Sora back to normal.

Riku would just wait for that day, wait for him to wake so they could both go back to the islands and to Kairi once again.

* * *

It's later that week when DiZ sends him after Roxas.

Sora's memories aren't quite coming back, not quickly enough, DiZ said, and Roxas and some Xion character are to blame. He doesn't get all the particulars, but he doesn't care much. If it helps Sora get his memories back faster, he'll do it. He's committed. He has to help Sora get his memories back.

No matter what it costs him in the process.

 _~fin~_

 _..._

* * *

 **A/N:** I know this is short, but there's a reason this is a _drabble_ collection; I'm really lazy and never finish anything and my bursts of inspiration rarely last for full-sized fics, to my eternal annoyance.

And since KH is probably my favorite videogame series ever with some of my favorite characters that I never get tired of, there are a lot of drabbles like these lying around my notebooks that will probably never get expanded, so here! Have unsatisfying, short pieces where I usually torture my favorite characters (Mainly Roxas and Sora and occasional interludes with the BBS crew) with lots of angst and maybe some h/c.  
Many will be inspired by song lyrics, in which case I will put the lyrics in question at the top of the fic.  
Unless otherwise specified, none will really connect with the others, and if it's an AU, I'll mention that at the top too.

IMPORTANT: If you have any requests, please let me know! I'd be happy to write something small for a prompt, though I know it's not likely you'll want to see more of this stuff.

Also, the title is not set in stone just yet. Let me know what you think, if you have any better ideas, please :)

That being said, thank you SO much for reading! Hope you have a wonderful day.

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If there is ANYTHING that you think could be improved, please let me know! This has not been edited by anyone else so I would appreciate your feedback!  
Whether or not you let me know what you think, I hope you enjoyed and will stick around for the next time I get around to fixing up a one-shot/drabble.

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And an extra thing to make you more inclined to come back later, A SNEAK PREVIEW FOR DRABBLE #2, DEPARTURE:

* * *

 _"It wouldn't have seemed unusual: a black-cloaked figure of the Organization, striding through the neon-lit streets of the World That Never Was._

 _But Axel knew it was. He knew that this was no ordinary walk because Roxas didn't even look at him as he passed, sandy blonde head high and purposefully aimed straight ahead."_


	2. Departure (Axel & Roxas, 3582)

_-_ SPOILERS THROUGH KINGDOM HEARTS: 358/2 DAYS-

* * *

 ** _"But oh, my heart was flawed; I knew my weakness_** — ** _so hold my hand; consign me not to darkness"_ _-Broken Crown by Mumford & Sons_**

* * *

 ** _||||358/2Days|||_**

It wouldn't have seemed unusual: a black-cloaked figure of the Organization, striding through the neon-lit streets of the World That Never Was.

But he knew it was. He knew that this was no ordinary walk because Roxas didn't even _look_ at him as he passed, sandy blonde head high and purposefully aimed straight ahead.

Roxas just kept walking down the street, soon to disappear out of sight. Axel had a bad feeling that if he didn't say something, then that would be how Roxas left: alone and stubborn and misguided, and that they would never again speak.

So he broke the silence.

"Your mind's made up?"

This wasn't the time for quips or jokes. Axel knew that. Roxas knew that. Roxas _had_ to. He _had_ to know what he was getting himself into, walking out like this.

Thankfully, Roxas stopped at his words, even though he didn't turn around to face his best friend and only responded over his shoulder. "Why did the Keyblade choose me?"

The slightest of pauses.

"I have to know."

The words were final, hurtful. Roxas was choosing this over his own existence. This knowledge was worth his death? _No way_ was the younger Nobody thinking clearly—Axel would just have to be the rational one for nearly the first time in both his first life and this one.

"You can't turn on the Organization!" Without meaning to, Axel pushed off the wall and let the words come out harsh. "You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!"

But Roxas barely turned his head at all, and replied derisively. "No one would miss me."

Axel would forever wonder what it was that held him in place, silent, stunned, as his friend continued walking away and around the corner—shock perhaps, that Roxas could believe such a thing, or anger, that it had come to this, or guilt, that there was nothing more he could do, or what.

He had no idea what kept him stationary while his best friend left him behind, ignoring sense and Axel's words, what stopped him from replying until it was too late for the intended recipient to hear him.

"That's not true."

There was no one there to hear the words, to see Axel's shoulders droop with the admission and the sadness he shouldn't have been able to feel.

"I would."

* * *

 _ **"The pull on my flesh was just too strong; stifled the choice and the air in my lungs. Better not to breathe than to breathe a lie"-Broken Crown by Mumford & Sons**_

* * *

The neon-lit streets of the World That Never Was looked exactly like they always did, casting colors upon the road in uneven, blurred patterns, the multitudes of windows lit with yellow glows, though no figures stood in their depths. There never were figures among the high-rises, never would be, Roxas supposed, except for those few, black-cloaked ones from the Organization—black-cloaked figures like the one leaning against the building just ahead.

The figure stood right where Roxas couldn't miss him, casual and motionless, head down like he was examining the road under his feet, like he didn't hear the footsteps from Roxas' own shoes, like he wasn't waiting for anyone, though Roxas knew he was.

So Roxas ignored his best friend, eyes gliding straight past him, half of him hoping Axel wouldn't speak, and the other wishing desperately for him to. The heat, the strength from his decision which flowed through him, gripped his bones ( _where did the need come from_ , Roxas wondered, the thoughts creating more stone inside of his veins, _is this what emotions feel like, and how do I feel them without a heart?_ ), told him that if Axel didn't speak, there was no chance of Roxas ever turning around and returning to the _status quo_ of defeating Heartless and watching the heart-shaped moon grow, supposedly from his efforts.

But he didn't think that he _wanted_ to return, to just let his questions go unanswered, so when Axel broke the silence, Roxas didn't resist as his insides froze, froze with... anger? Was that what anger felt like?

"Your mind's made up?"

No laughter, no joke in Axel's tone now. It wasn't something Roxas was used to, and there was a stab of pain inside of him, like he'd been stabbed, when he thought that if he didn't turn back now, he and Xion and Axel would never laugh together again on top of the clock tower with sea-salt ice cream in their hands.

It was the pain—was that sadness?—that brought him to a stop, though the reminder of the not-emptiness inside his chest and the other things he needed to know made the pain lessen and made more of his veins turn to stone. "Why did the Keyblade choose me?"

If Axel could answer, if Axel _would_ answer, maybe he could give up on this plan. But, truthfully, he didn't want him to, so Roxas pushed away a lifting in his chest—hope, perhaps?—and preempted his answer.

"I have to know."

Roxas felt those words, felt how they hung in the air like physical weights, and their presence solidified his need. He couldn't turn back. He wouldn't.

"You can't turn on the Organization!" Axel's voice was rough, accusatory. It hurt, somehow, but the reproof in his tone was deadened as Roxas' resolve turned from stone to steel. "You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!"

The last words didn't even penetrate, Roxas' whole body now full of the hard feeling of determination. What would that mean, anyway? He could live with his questions unanswered or die with the knowledge he needed.

"No one would miss me."

Pushing him into movement again, the statement sunk the truth into Roxas' mind.

Questions, or death.

It wasn't like anything would change without him around. He was just a Nobody. A Nobody with a half-life and no feelings and no answers.

Roxas would change that. He would still be a Nobody, with no life at all, and still no feelings, but with answers.

 _~fin~_

...

* * *

 **A/N:** I will have you know that the last half was a pure rush of pre-NaNoWriMo jitters, fueled by coffee and a desire to make up for my procrastination on my multi-chapter.

Sooo... sorry? I did not mean to let TDWI lie still for so long. It won't remain so for too much longer. I should have another chapter up in... December sometime? Yeah. December. Hold me to that. Sometime before the new year.

IMPORTANT: If you have any requests, please let me know! I'd be happy to write something small for a prompt, though I know it's not likely you'll want to see more of this stuff.

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If there are ANY mistakes, please let me know! I appreciate the constructive criticism.

But regardless of mistakes, I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

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And a sneak preview for the (most-likely) next update; DRABBLE #3: [Sometimes-]Dark:

* * *

 _"Ven isn't happy, surrounded by mostly-dark, partially empty and not whole. He always feels like he's missing something, and he wants it back in the only constant of his existence, wants it with an unceasing, unwavering desire that never burns but only nags at him like a quiet voice._

 _[_ I don't know how long I've been here or how long I will be here but I know it hasn't been forever and it won't be long. _] Time has no meaning—nothing has meaning, except for the missing piece of himself [_ and the memories I can't always remember _], yet Ven can do nothing to get it back, nothing to ease the lack that eats at him constantly."_


	3. The Sometimes-Dark (Ventus, post-BBS)

-SPOILERS THROUGH THE END OF BIRTH BY SLEEP-

* * *

 **|||Birth By Sleep|||**

Ven can't really feel anything in this contradictory existence. [ _But then sometimes I do.]_

The only thing he can really feel is the darkness, which surrounds him and looms on the edges of this weird consciousness, a black presence just waiting to strike. [ _Well, the darkness isn't always darkness, for some reason—sometimes it's gray, sometimes it's a gold of a bright heart and sometimes it's cold, but it's empty, and big, and the place isn't_ mine _, it's someone else's—_ Sora?— _but I don't think too much about it.]_

The only other thing he really knows is that he's alone. _[I don't always feel alone either, like there is someone else sharing this cage with me, quiet and so familiar and safe that I almost don't notice them.]_ He supposes that it should make him feel sad, or abandoned. [ _But I know somewhere inside me that I'm not alone on purpose, that I'm not unwanted or abandoned._ ] He can _almost_ remember warmth, and something that felt like a promise, before this weird existence was the only thing he knew. [ _But_ _I know that I won't be alone forever, stuck here in the not-dark.]_

Sometimes, when he gets bored or almost afraid, Ven might reach out a curious thought towards the darkness, [ _which isn't always black and doesn't always seem malicious_ ] and for a moment he'll be plunged into another head, a head full of red and silver and an urgency and adrenaline that is alien [ _and yet so familiar]_ , where he's no longer Ven, stuck there alone, but he's someone who's not Ven, but not Sora either. And Ven'll wonder _"Who's Sora?"_ before he's shunted back to himself and solitude.

[ _I can almost remember joy, and something like laughter, long, long before where I am now,_ ] but it always seems too far away from where he is, and all he can do is lust silently after that something missing from his heart there in the [ _sometimes-_ ]dark.

[ _I think of things, sometimes, things like blades shaped like Keys and water and earth and most often,_ stars _, ones that tumble above me through a dark sky that is achingly familiar, and when I does, I don't quite feel trapped anymore. I almost feel like I'm whole again, like I've found the rest of what should be in my heart._ ]

[ _Sometimes, I think I remember names;_ _Aqua. Terra.]_ But then the moment passes and there's nothing there, no identities to cling to except his pitiful feeling of loss.

And for some reason that Ven doesn't think about or understand, he does not feel afraid of the sometimes-dark.

But Ven also isn't happy, surrounded by mostly-dark, partially empty and not whole. He always feels like he's missing something, and he wants it back in the only constant of his existence, wants it with an unceasing, unwavering desire that never burns but only nags at him like a quiet voice.

[ _I don't know how long I've been here or how long I will be here but I know it hasn't been forever and it won't be long._ ] Time has no meaning—nothing has meaning, except for the missing piece of himself [ _and the memories I can't always remember_ ], yet Ven can do nothing to get it back, nothing to ease the lack that eats at him constantly.

[ _Nothing, except place my trust in them and wait, reaching out whenever I can and hoping Aqua and Terra will be back soon.]_

Ven can't really feel anything in this contradictory existence.

But then sometimes, he does.

 _~fin~_

...

* * *

 **A/N:** So this is short and might not make any sense, but I hope it's enjoyable (and not confusing. I really hope it's not confusing)! This was a bit of an experiment for me; I don't usually do switching POVs like this or anything (but it was still pretty fun to write, so...). Thank you for reading. :)


	4. Of birthdays and being alone (Paoputrio)

-SPOILDERS THROUGH KHCoM-

* * *

 _ **|||Between KHCoM & KHII|||**_

That year, Kairi's birthday feels empty, to her. Lacking two presences (though she only remembers one) which had been the main orchestrators in years previous. She, although unsure why, begs off in the late afternoon and goes out to that island for the first time in months. It's so familiar to her, but so empty.

Kairi watches the sunset alone, wondering why she feels like she's missing something.

Sora couldn't have celebrated even if enough of his memories had been repaired enough for him to remember it, and he sleeps in his pod, though he would have been horrified to know Kairi was alone.

Riku, worlds away, begs off from DiZ's planning and Sora's white cell to watch the sunset in Twilight Town, and tries not to think that he's missing her too. He'd wanted to go out and buy her a present, but it wasn't like he could go visit her. Not the way he is now. He has resigned himself to never seeing her again, and even when Sora wakes, Riku won't stick around, either.

Riku celebrates for her by trying to dream of the islands and by allowing himself to imagine a future where he goes back there with Sora by his side.

* * *

That year, Sora sleeps through his birthday, which he always had wanted to do in years past, only to be woken by one of his friends singing obnoxiously. Of course, this sleep isn't what he'd fantasized about, those years before, and if he'd been given the choice, Sora would have much preferred to be awake for all of this particular day.

Sora hangs alone in a pod in the darkness with his memories strewn around his head, broken and being repaired, insensate to time and the significance of the day, dreaming of nothing.

Kairi wakes up and goes to school, half-heartedly laughing at Wakka and Tidus' antics, all the while trying not to think of the nightmare she'd had the night before of a blank white room, aware for the first time in months that there's more than one absence at her side (but not his name, not what day she's forgetting).

Riku, just outside, sits beside the pod all day, ignoring Namine and the ache in his chest. He wants to talk, for some reason, to fill the gaping silence, try to connect with his best friend somehow. Make this day different from all the others. Mark it, somehow, so Sora would know that not everyone had forgotten his birthday.

But Sora's asleep, and Riku can't bring himself to speak.

Riku celebrates for him by not wearing the blindfold for one day and not letting his best friend be completely alone in the white room with the white cell and the white silence.

* * *

That year, Riku's birthday is no different than any other day. DiZ doesn't know or doesn't care, and Namine evidently didn't keep the date though she must have seen it in Sora's memories.

Kairi notes the day on the calendar and fakes being sick to visit the island again, and although she feels foolish, sings Happy Birthday under her breath to the sand and waves.

Sora sleeps away, his mind piece by piece coming back together, ignorant of everything he was missing.

Riku doesn't celebrate, and clenches his jaw with every reminder of the date.

 _~fin~_

...

* * *

 **A/N:** So my babies make me sad when I think about the year between CoM and II. And I always love writing angst

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I know it's short, but I hope it's enjoyable anyway! Thank you for reading. I know I haven't been active lately, but my school year was crazy busy and I've been going through a lot, and writing lost a lot of appeal. I'm slowly getting back into it, and I haven't given up on my multi-chapter, promise. I hope to finish it within a month or so, but this last chapter or two is really tough to write.

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IMPORTANT: If you have any requests/suggestions, I'd love to hear them! I'd love to write something small for prompts or anything, though I know you may not want more of this stuff.

THank you so much!

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And a sneak preview for drabble #5: Silence:

* * *

 _The thing most striking about the rocky, desolate beach where he and Sora find themselves, Riku thinks, is how silent it is. The waves are strangely muffled as they lap at his and Sora's shows, and there's no bushes to rustle in the constantly stagnant air and no birds to sing and no swishing Nobodies or hungry Heartless to appear from the shadows to be met with the music of Keyblade slashes._

 _It's just him, Sora, the too-quiet sea, and the starless sky._


	5. Silence (Riku & Sora, KHII)

-SPOILERS THROUGH THE END OF KHII-

* * *

 _ **|||KHII|||**_

The thing most striking about the rocky, desolate beach where he and Sora find themselves, Riku thinks, is how silent it is. The waves are strangely muffled as they lap at his and Sora's shoes, and there's no bushes to rustle in the constantly stagnant air and no birds to sing and no swishing Nobodies or hungry Heartless to appear from the shadows to be met with the music of Keyblade slashes.

It's just him, Sora, the too-quiet sea, and the starless sky. It could be peaceful, but the air is too static, the loneliness too complete, and the sky is so low and feels heavy. The place seems like it's sucking his soul out with every passing minute, like it's draining him of what little energy he still had after the fight with Xemnas then the hoarde of Nobodies. The only thing Riku feels capable of doing is sitting there in the too-gritty sand with the endless, dark sea spread out in front of him, and try not to get lost in the black thoughts. He's used to warding them off, but the accusations and failures seem louder here. He supposes they are. This is the Realm of Darkness, after all, and he'll be more easily caught in the lies and despair than normal.

Riku may be more used to it than the average person, after all his time alternatively fleeing and fighting his inner darkness, but Sora isn't, Riku thinks, after time has stopped mattering, and he realizes that his friend hasn't spoken since they sat down (not that he can tell when that was, but it must have been a while ago; his leg amd his side aren't throbbing anymore, and the sand is more comfortable, like it always gets after you sit for too long in the same spot.)

When he looks over, Sora's gazing unblinkingly out into the waves, blue eyes glazed and unfocused, eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his mouth twisted in a small frown. Sora hasn't had to get used to darkness whispering in his ear or feeling its quiet presence slowly creep closer until the despair has sunk its claws into your heart. He's too bright himself and spent too much time in the light worlds and fighting to have grown a resistance to the patient, malevolent darkness which Riku's been battling all along. He looks like he's fallen asleep with his eyes open, but his breathing has slowed like his body is forgetting it needs to, and his posture is drooped, defeated. And Riku recognizes the feeling of despair, of hopelessness, and inevitability in his eyes.

Sora, just like the waves and the Realm itself, is too silent, and it's more horrifying a thought to Riku than anything else that he's losing his best friend to the endless, timeless darkness around them.

 _Neither of you are getting out of here anyway_ , something inside him whispers, sounding oh-so-trustworthy and smooth. _Just let him be. Just let the waves wash away your hope too. What's the point in resisting?_ But Riku recognizes the lies now, even though this darkness is larger and deeper and more hopeless than his, he shakes it off with practiced force.

"Sora," Riku says, and his friend doesn't even blink. The word is quickly swallowed by the silence, and Riku makes himself move, grab Sora by the arm. "Sora," he repeats, and this time it reaches him. The Keybearer turns, eyes focusing, and takes a short breath.

"Stay with me," they're the only words that come out, though they're more emotive than normal, Riku _needs_ Sora to wake up. He can't do this alone again. They're stuck down here, but it's together, and Riku intends to keep it that way.

For a second, Sora's eyes stay confused and still hold the dragging weariness perpetuated by the silence, but then he blinks, and his eyes clear. "Where'm I supposed to go?" he jokes, and his smile is almost wide enough to make Riku believe it's real.

Riku wants to say something else, keep Sora from sliding back into hopelessness, but the silence tugs at him again, and Sora's gaze slips back to the sea. After a second, so does Riku's. He doesn't want to just let them fade into the scenery here, be lost in timeless darkness, but he can't find a way out himself.

Just when he's starting to lose any need to try and find a way out, he feels something hit his shoe, brought in by the waves.

It's a little, glass bottle, with an innocuous-looking letter inside.

 _~fin~_

...

* * *

 **AN:** Thank you for reading! I've been writing a lot of little drabbles, so I may be posting a little more often as far as drabbles are concerned-longer fics? Maybe not. BUt I'm slowly getting my discipline back for writing, so I hope to be updating more often.

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I really appreciate all of you who read this! Even if you don't review or follow, I am very grateful you take time to read!

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Sneak preview of drabble #6, Introduction:

* * *

 _Eraqus had been on his own for a long time. Master Yen Sid rarely ever left the Mysterious Tower anymore, and his messages were few and far between. Xehanort was gone, the only evidences of his leaving the scars on Eraqus' face. He was the only one to protect the Realms now, to protect the balance._

 _It was a heavy burden. A weary, lonely job._

 _He did it without a murmur. Because he was the only one who could._

 _But when Eraqus found himself in this murky, gray-tinged world, a new job appeared to him._

 _T_ _he_ _boy wasn't more than eight years old._


	6. And Then There Were Three (pre-BBS)

-SPOILERS FOR BIRTH BY SLEEP-

* * *

 _ **|||Birth By Sleep|||**_

Terra:

Terra's world was a quiet world. It fell near the edge of the light realm, and darkness reached fingers onto the edges of Eraqus' sightline, taunting, haunting, whispering lies and fears. It wouldn't be a bad place to grow up, Eraqus supposed, were it not for the shadows in the corners and the prevalent pickpockets in the alleys.

Eraqus had been on his own for a long time. Master Yen Sid rarely ever left the Mysterious Tower anymore, and his messages were few and far between. Xehanort was gone, the only evidences of his leaving the scars on Eraqus' face. He was the only one to protect the Realms now, to protect the balance.

It was a heavy burden. A weary, lonely job.

He did it without a murmur. Because he was the only one who could.

But when a rumor of some troublesome mages reached his ears in the tavern he frequented, the tavern where world-travelers congregated to swap stories and goods, and Eraqus found himself in this murky, gray-tinged world, a new job appeared to him.

The boy wasn't more than eight years old. He had no parents, or at least none who cared enough to watch over him. He was too proud to beg, and too good to steal, so he wandered the street corners to try to find jobs. A mane of spiky brown hair obscured it at first, but his face was bruised, and his knuckles were bloody—from fights he'd gotten into, the boy later told Eraqus. Fights to protect the younger kids from the streets. Fights to defend his honor, or get back at bullies.

The boy ran into him as Eraqus entered the slums of the biggest town, his skin more dirt than anything else, and there was a split-second where the boy's shocked, piercing cobalt eyes locked with his own brown ones, and Eraqus was overwhelmed by a rush of _rightness._ The boy was meant to stumble into his knees and Eraqus was meant to catch him and send the older ruffians chasing him again into the shadows with a glare.

The boy met his gaze, half-challenging and half-unsure. Eraqus could feel the magic locked away inside his chest, an inner strength firmer than the earth. The thought hit him like a train.

 _This boy is to be my apprentice._

It sunk into him. It felt right. Eraqus knew it was meant to be. This boy was to be his apprentice, he was to train him to control the seething emotions within him. The Land of Departure would have more than one occupant, would be full of the sizzle of magic and the clang of practicing Keyblades once again.

Eraqus stopped the boy from leaving with a hand on his shoulder. "Wait just a moment."

The boy stared at him, on guard but undeniably curious. "Who're you?" He shot out, and Eraqus saw that his eyes had flicked to Master Keeper. The weapon seemed to hold the boy's attention, but only for a moment. He looked back up at Eraqus, his interest overwhelming his caution.

"My name is Eraqus." He replied. "And you are?"

"I'm Terra."

.

Aqua:

Aqua's world was gentle and her city floats on top of its biggest lake. The people were cheery and self-absorbed, merchants by trade and sailors by heart. They were less-advanced, perhaps, than many of the more prominent worlds, but he'd heard stories that monsters were seen in the underwater levels—a pointless chase, as no monsters were to be found. Eraqus was ready to portal back to the Land of Departure where he had reluctantly left Terra for the day, but was distracted by the sound of gasping.

He looked down the street he was passing and saw four children in a cluster around a fifth, a young girl with bright blue hair and a hand-me-down dress. Over her outstretched palm, a small ball of fire hovered, its hue that of a conjured flame. One of the others was smiling and eager, but the other three looked shocked, and almost scared. "What is that?" The eldest demanded, a high note in his voice that spoke of fear. Eraqus stopped. Something was off.

The girl in the middle shrugged, and the shy smile she had worn was slipping, and her magic faded into nonexistence. "A-a trick," she said, fumbling with the words.

"No, that was _magic_ ," the older one accused, and the word was a curse. The other children backed away faster than Eraqus could blink, and the girl shook her head rapidly. "N-no," she protested, and looked around her for help. "I just… My friend taught me how to—"

Again, one of the others stepped back. "No one can do that! That's _magic!_ "

The girl shook in fear now at the word. "I-I didn't mean..."

"Get away!" One yelled, getting close enough to shove her.

"I'm sorry!" She gasped, and then she looked around once more for help, and her eyes found Eraqus.

Again, that lightning strike of clarity. The girl and her magic ability were not meant to languish in this still-growing world. Eraqus was to take her with him to join Terra in training.

He had crossed the distance between them with two strides, and loomed over the other children with the glare he'd learned from Yen Sid. "Go." It was a one-word order, but Eraqus had mastered a voice which produced results within days of Terra's arrival, especially after hearing it himself so often as he trained.

They scampered, and Eraqus turned to look at the blue-haired girl, who didn't quite shrink away from him but regarded him with surprise and a measure of curiosity. Her heart overflowed with magic, with potential. Her bright blue eyes had a gentle strength but her limbs were skinny and her mouth underfed, her hands rough and blistered from labor. Her parents had been killed in a boat accident years before and whatever orphanage she belonged to did not want her, she later told him.

"Thank you," she whispered, and faltered back. "I won't do it again. I-I didn't mean to do anything wrong…"

Eraqus shook his head. "You did nothing wrong." Her eyes found his in disbelief. "In fact, what you can do is a rare skill."

Her eyes grew wider. "I can help you learn to use it, if you would like."

The girl nodded, eagerly. But then she blinked, and furrowed her brows. "Who are you?"

"I am Master Eraqus," the title felt easy now, after having Terra with him.

The offer to learn magic was irresistible, and she left with him easily. But first, before he asked her to join the world of Keybearers, the girl smiled in return, and replied, "I'm Aqua."

.

Ven:

Xehanort never told him what Ventus' homeworld had been like, and Eraqus never asked. He had not been exactly willing to speak with his old friend after their parting, but the fact that he was accompanied by an empty, fumbling boy at his side gave Eraqus enough pause for the other Master to explain.

Ventus' heart had nearly been lost, his spirit torn asunder, and there was a gripping regret in Xehanort's eyes as he told Eraqus of the accident. Eraqus had heard stories of certain black creatures lacking hearts which were found in darker worlds, and they had somehow crept up on Xehanort and Ventus. Xehanort blamed himself for not being able to protect the boy, even though he had done all that he could to repair him. Without help, all Xehanort had been able to do was strip the darkness from him.

But the Ventus whom Xehanort had first found was a bright boy with a willing spirit, ready to help and always smiling with the eager grin of a chosen heart. Signs of a Keybearer waiting.

He had barely had time to absorb the change in perspective about his old friend when screaming echoed from the atrium, and they rushed out to find all three young apprentices waiting where only Ventus had stood. Now, the blonde boy was crumpled on the floor, and Eraqus could feel the cracks in the boy's heart splitting further. Terra and Aqua stood next to him, speechless, scared, guilty.

His anger was more from the whirling emotions of seeing Xehanort again than against his apprentices, but they shrank away anyway. Terra stuttered out apologies, but Eraqus shook his head. _Ventus cannot remember anything._

And as he looked down on the broken boy with the broken yet incredibly bright heart, he did not feel the strike of clarity like he had those years before with his other apprentices. What he felt was undeniable compassion and the knowledge that he could not turn him away. Ventus deserved the chance to train and live without being haunted by this accident. He couldn't do that with Xehanort.

So Eraqus made him a room across from Terra's, Xehanort left after profuse gratitude, Aqua hovered over the boy like a worried mother, and Terra tiptoed in the background as if afraid to hurt him again.

When Aqua burst into his and Terra's lesson a few days later, gasping that Ventus had woken, he was the first in the room to meet the boy's blank, glazed stare. "Good to see you're awake," he said, and the boy sat up to look at him, unblinking. It was almost eerie.

"My name is Master Eraqus," he went on, and the words seemed to connect with the boy. Finally, Ventus blinked and a measure of color returned to his face.

The reply was breathless and almost emotionless, but it gave him back the slightest edge of consciousness.

"I'm Ventus."

 _~fin~_

...

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, another drabble thing from me instead of actual updates, sorry! But thank you for putting up with my weird updating schedule and my current obsession with Kingdom Hearts.

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Unrelated news, how many of you are playing KH Unchained X? I am completely obsessed with it.

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Thank you, miano53, for reviewing and favoriting!

And thank all of you for reading!


	7. Mantle of a Keybearer (Paopu trio)

ABOUT THE TIMELINE: It may be wonky and is likely not canon but I'm stretching it to have Yen Sid have been alive for the Keyblade War. And I'm not taking KHUX canon into account because I'm not caught up on it also I'm lazy! I just like speculating about Yen Sid and the Keybearers before the main trio basically.

...

* * *

There had been a time when the worlds were full of Keybearers.

A school on every civilized world. A branching council over every section, an elite organization over the council, Keybearers policing their own to make sure corruption didn't overcome the protectors. There were legends and myths reaching back centuries, inner hierarchies, and every young child dreamed of being chosen for their very own Keyblade.

They had once been the protectors of the balance, warriors both of light and darkness working together to keep the worlds safe.

Their collective mistake had not been complacency, as one might think. It had been _greed_ —greed for power, for prestige… but mostly, greed for the χ-blade.

A scholar had discovered it, had theorized it would be possible, and the news had spread. Every school suddenly saw the chance to rise to the top, every apprentice saw a fast-track to Mastership. It became the sole object of every wielder's obsession. Their duties fell to the wayside; their hours were devoted to finding the blade they thought would solve all their problems.

Only a clash of pure light and pure darkness would bring it. The Keybearers fell to dissent at how far they should go to obtain it. How far was too far.

The Keybearers had split. Schools turned on each other, apprentices betrayed their Masters—and any semblance of morality was abandoned. Darkness began to spread, feeding fires of anger and pride and greed. The balance was gone. The Keybearers across the worlds abandoned their posts for the final battle on the world which would become the Keyblade Graveyard.

None of them won. No one created the χ-blade. Those that survived gave up their Blades in remorse.

Keybearers of old tore themselves apart, and the balance was fractured. The worlds stumbled in the absence of their protectors.

The Keybearers of old failed to stop the darkness and protect the world. Hundreds of them couldn't keep themselves and the balance in check.

Which is why Yen Sid finds Riku, Sora, and Kairi so remarkable.

He had begun teaching Mickey all those years ago reluctantly (unsure that anyone should even try to use Keyblades anymore). He remembered all-too-vividly the carnage that could be wrought when a Keyblade was used wrongly. But he knew Eraqus was trying to train students too, train them right, avoid the darkness and uphold the balance.

But even though Eraqus had been so careful in his training, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus had all been lost, the first new generation of Bearers almost all destroyed in one fell swoop of Xehanort's. Yen Sid had gone on the defensive then, hoping to stop the whole business in its tracks.

He had thought Eraqus' students had managed to stop Xehanort, and so ordered Mickey to keep his own blade a secret, use it only when necessary, and avoid all contact with the darkness.

So when the threat of Ansem and Maleficent and the Heartless appeared, Yen Sid was at a loss. Those ten years since Eraqus' students had been filled with desperate attempts to study and understand Xehanort's previous plan, not prepare for whatever was next. He had no way to combat this.

Then, out of some small light world, came a young boy, who had been granted a Keyblade not by a Master, but seemingly from light itself (though he had some theories now). He had appeared with a grin on his face and a need to help in his heart, and he and the King's friends had blasted their way through the darkness. Yen Sid had watched this occur, unable to contain his surprise. A part of him tried to hope that this would turn out well.

Sora's friend, Riku—he was a different story at first, but it turned out that Terra had made the right choice of successor in the end. Riku fought the darkness tooth and nail, and he found his way to the light in the end. Yen Sid had never realized that a light that survived in the blackest of darkness would end up just as bright if not brighter than one who never had that challenge. Tenacity, determination—traits essential to any successful Keybearer, but Riku's were tempered with wisdom from past mistakes and undying loyalty.

Yen Sid had dismissed Kairi at first, unaware that she also had a Key waiting for her from her meeting with Aqua, and although she had started training later than her friends, found magic as instinctual as her predecessor had. She upheld and encouraged and helped her boys with infinite patience and a ready smile, and when the time came, she went into battle herself. He shouldn't have been surprised that she took to combat just as easily as magic, but he was and she did; and she joined her boys as an equal and not a dependent.

The three of them together—Sora sprinting ahead full-force with a grin on his face, ready for anything; Riku, more serious but analytical and practical and full of determination; and Kairi, pulling her boys together when they fought and facing the darkness without wavering—they somehow gave Yen Sid hope for Keybearers again. The three of them could accomplish more than anyone thought possible, could stare darkness in the face and find a way through it. They rescued their predecessors and thwarted Organization XIII, and stood poised to take down Xehanort, unstoppable as long as they were together.

The three of them found the balance once again and managed to maintain it through loyalty and tenacity.

Where hundreds of more experienced Bearers had all failed those years before, Sora, Riku, and Kairi succeeded, through friendship and their own light. It gave Yen Sid hope again.

And on behalf of the Keybeaers who had gone before him, Yen Sid awarded them each the Mark of Mastery in due time, knowing it was the least he could do.

They had defeated the darkness and won the balance, in spite of their youth and inexperience and the odds stacked against them.

The first new generation of Keybearers stood as a solid front against the darkness, together and stronger for it, winning battles and maintaining the balance that those before them had been unable to, and Yen Sid found himself glad there were Keywielders to protect the worlds once again.

Riku, Sora, and Kairi continued the legacy of the Keybearers, their path difficult and long but helped by the knowledge they were shouldering a mantle held by so many before them.

 _~fin~_

 _..._

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, I know, I'm really inconsistent with the whole uploading thing. My only excuse is school and a lack of motivation.

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Should I have worked on this instead of my multichapter? No. Not at all. Did I do it anyway? Yeah, I did. I don't really feel sorry either.

But I have many other unfinished drabbles and one-shots to finish, a couple I have vague motivation for, so maybe I'll be a bit active? Maybe? Until this school year finishes killing me?

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Thank you for reading. I greatly appreciate it! :) Have a wonderful day!


	8. The family you chose (Paopu trio, AU)

-the college AU I didn't even want but hey here you go-

* * *

 _ **|||College AU|||**_

"You know," her roommate says, slowly, in a whisper, "I always thought they were brothers, the way you talked about them."

Kairi looks up from her unpacking at Sora and Riku, the latter of whom was currently threatening to dangle Sora out the fourth floor window next to them if he didn't shut up. They certainly didn't _look_ like brothers, she smiled at the thought, not with Riku's silver hair and Sora's brown spikes, the way Riku constantly held himself up and taunted how much taller he was, the . "They might as well be," Kairi says, still grinning. They'd accompanied her in lieu of her adoptive parents to start her second year of college, seeing as they hadn't made it the first year—Sora too busy with surfing nationals, and Riku trying to decide which Ivy League he was going to. But this year, Sora had busted his knee and was outed from the tournament (he didn't complain _at all_ ) and Riku's school started later than hers, so they'd made the four hour drive up the coast with her to drop her off.

Something inside her burns brightly—a satisfaction, a joy—that the three of them were still together. Most of her childhood friends—Wakka, Selphie, Olette—had faded from her life after high school, and though she'll still call Selphie and catch up every once in a while, it's not the friendship she craves. And as great as her new friends at college are, it's a relief, a sanctuary, to know that she can always call up Sora and complain about the newest drama and have him listen like he knows the names she spouts off, that she can always text Riku for help in science and have him explain the hardest concepts in her book like it is the easiest thing in the world. They're her boys, _hers_ , no matter how many miles separate them, no matter the arguments that spring up between them. Nothing can separate them, not permanently. She wants to ascribe this to the paopu fruit they'd shared as kids, or maybe to the sentimental wayfinders Kairi had made for them all those years ago.

"Kai?" She's snapped out of her thoughts by Sora's voice, and she looks up to see that he's currently upside-down, face slowly turning red under his tan, Riku having somehow lifted him off the ground by his feet. He looks concerned for her, even with himself powerless against Riku's grip. Kairi's roommate's mouth is hanging open in shock. "You had your _I'm-thinking-too-hard_ look on," Sora finishes, and Riku is looking at her too, an eyebrow quirked, forgetting his argument with Sora for the second. She doesn't remember what they'd been arguing about in the first place.

But she just laughs, and shakes her head. "Can you guys do something productive, other than try to impress Hayley?" Riku immediately drops Sora onto the floor, from where he groans and swears revenge, and her roommate snaps her mouth closed, turning her eyes resolutely away from where Sora's shirt had slipped up to reveal his rather-toned abs, from Riku's sleeveless arms. Kairi suppresses a grin. "They're always like this," she admits.

Hayley looks at her like she's trying to piece her together. "I thought I knew you pretty well after last year, but you just keep surprising me," she says eventually, and Kairi rolls her eyes; Hayley finds her whole _amnesiac/adopted/honor student_ background incredibly fascinating, like those mystery novels she devours, but Kairi doesn't see anything that special about it. Sora and Riku are just that: Sora, and Riku. They're opposites in most things, identical in others, silly and serious and protective and temperamental and everything in-between. She wouldn't trade them for anything. And she doesn't know why Hayley thinks they're so weird. "But knowing exactly what these two are like…" Her eyes drift back to the boys, now arguing over who gets to carry the minifridge up, "I'm even more intrigued by you. How exactly did you guys become friends?"

Kairi can imagine what prompts the question. They don't exactly scream _compatible best friends forever_. Sora and Riku don't seem like they should get along—the competitive, carefree surfer with a history of saving both drowning people and kittens from trees alike, and the overachieving A-student with the angry eyes but the kind heart—and she knows their bickering only reinforces the split. Sora's parents were sailors; Riku's, a nurse and a police officer. To anyone who didn't pry, Sora seemed the stereotypical surfer; Riku, the usual Ivy League college kid.

But Kairi had seen them grow up together. Had seen them pick each other up. Pull each other down, then apologize when the heat of the moment faded. Keep each other on track, push each other harder. It had been Riku who had first introduced Sora to surfing. Sora had been the one to convince Riku's parents that he could go to a University that wasn't on the islands.

No one would think them inseparable—brothers, even. No one would think that Kairi couldn't think of one without the other, that they relied on each other more than anyone could ever know.

No one else had been there the day a few weeks before when Sora had gone out on the waves and been taken down by one of those squalls common to the islands—here one second, gone the next. She remembers how the sky had darkened while she and Riku had been busy debating the pros and cons of Kairi's tentative major, and by the time they'd realized, and realized that Sora was still out there, the waves were almost as big as the day she'd been found on shore.

They'd run out onto the sand, suddenly frantic, knowing they had to hunker down in the shack to weather out the storm, and Kairi was the only one who'd seen that Riku's face had a flash of unadulterated fear when he couldn't see Sora paddling back to them. He'd gotten caught up in the waves, somewhere, and Riku and Kairi knew that men died in storms like these.

Kairi had been the only one to see how Riku, heedless of his own safety, plunged straight into those ten-foot waves when he caught sight of Sora's board, how they'd both disappeared under the waves for so long that Kairi had nearly despaired for either of them, how when they finally came up, it was Riku leading the way and, knowing it was Sora's pride and joy, making sure to tug the board behind them despite the dangers of having it to disrupt their swim. Kairi had helped them back up on the beach, Sora hacking and coughing and unable to move his leg, his knee swelling, and Riku disregarding his own sopping wet clothes and panting breath to make sure Sora was okay. She was the only one to see that Sora pushed Riku away, making the older boy catch his own breath, that Sora refused to acknowledge how badly his knee was screwed up so he could row them back to the mainland.

No, Riku and Sora's friendship didn't surprise her. Their bond is evident—had been evident, since the day the two of them had found her on the beach. She relies on it, on them, and loves them all the more for their dysfunctionality. _They might as well be brothers, indeed,_ Kairi thinks. They were brothers in every way that mattered. And she was, too—a part of that little family. The little family she had; her adoptive parents, Sora's and Riku's parents, and then them and her. She didn't need anyone else. Didn't need to remember her past. Didn't need anything but them. "They're not perfect," she said, Hayley perking up, though she's not even answering the question.

From the way Sora glanced at her, flashing one of his thousand-watt grins, and how Riku rolled his eyes to meet her own with that rare glance of open, unshielded love, they were thinking the same thing.

So Kairi smiled at her roommate, and finished, "But they're mine."

 _~fin~_

 _..._

* * *

 **A/N:** is the title catchy and satisfactorily vague? yeah? maybe?

Hey so I'm back, with yet another drabble that I shouldn't have been working on given my overwhelming school load and two other multichapters in progress (plus the one I haven't published yet yay)! What a surprise!

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Thank you all for reading, I do appreciate every one of you who reads/reviews/kudos, thank you for supporting me in my writing even though I'm so sporadic and bad at updating.

For those of you waiting for an update for another story-they're coming, promise. Eventually. Drabbles are just easier and require less editing and less panic on my part

Hope your day has been amazing! God bless


	9. two sides of one coin (Sora and Roxas)

Full title: **the war between two sides of one coin**

 **|||Kingdom Hearts II|||**

The first time Sora felt it was only shortly after he woke up.

They were going to leave Twilight Town—Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and Sora, with clothes too small and a big blank space in his head where the last year should've been—about to board the train to take them to Yen Sid, and hopefully answers, and though there should've been some swelling feeling of anticipation for the new adventure inside of him, something was dampening it. Something deep, and sad, and new.

It wasn't like any feeling, any sadness, Sora had felt before he'd gone to sleep. He knew that much. It widened the feeling of goodbye into sorrow, without a solid reason to do so. If anything, it felt like it was someone else's pain, but still it hit Sora harder than a truck. So hard, so fast, so unexpected, that there was a tear in his eye before he could process it.

All Sora was sure of was that _it_ hadn't been there before he'd gone to sleep. Nothing else occurred to him about _it_ , and Sora was able to ignore it most of the time, but then it would show up again randomly, smothering his own feelings with something else, something more subdued and less familiar than his own emotions.

The first time he saw Organization XIII, it was a brief flash of anger that was nearly lost in his own. When he found that one picture of Hayner, Pence, Olette, and the other kid, it surged with desire, with grief. And a name flew into his head: Roxas. It was hard to place where it came from, but he certainly hadn't thought of it on his own. And the name sounded so familiar too.

The first time he saw Axel, there was a pang striking him through his very core, a feeling like the one he endured every time he found that Riku was somewhere else, beyond his reach.

And every single time he met an Organization member, it happened again—usually anger, but sometimes something deeper, like betrayal, like loss.

It culminated with Axel's death.

Looking back, he thinks now that he's surprised it wasn't more. It was too deep to be just his own sorrow, too _personal_ , much too agonizing to be just his own feeling; but it was gone before he could really quantify it, before he could be consumed by the greater sorrow.

He realizes, now, that the pain, the foreign feeling, only disappeared because its source had broken from him.

Does Sora know now _how_ Roxas managed to do that? _No_. And Roxas won't tell him.

What he _does_ know is that _somehow_ , Roxas separated from him to call Nobodies—why did that still work?—and confront Sora, not physically—though he sure thought it was, at first.

That was where Roxas' true anger and grief came in.

He thinks now, that he had realized what was happening, at least subconsciously, that he might have known, kind of, while they fought, because not only was Sora buffeted by blows from the other's Keyblades, but he felt Roxas' emotions swirling through the mind-space where they fought. The emotions were almost physical, like a rush of fierce wind to accompany Roxas' yell of anger, a stagger as grief weighed down the air, and the coldness of betrayal sinking through his body, though Sora knew he should have been filled with the warmth of adrenaline.

Roxas' hurt, the hurt Sora couldn't understand until he finally experienced all of his Nobody's memories, was what hit Sora the most, sinking claws into his heart with "Tell me why he chose _you_!", hammering through him with every _clang_ of their Keyblades.

And even now, Sora's not entirely sure _why_ Axel _did_ choose him over Roxas. Why Axel gave up on trying to get his best friend back and saved him instead. It didn't, doesn't quite make sense, even now—perhaps it never will. Especially not now that he has Roxas' memories too.

The worst thing is that Roxas no longer seems to blame him-not after the attempted Mark. Roxas' anger has simmered away, either calmed by his rejoined state or by self-control, and Sora no longer feels that pang when he thinks of seasalt ice cream, of clocktowers. There's nothing there to stab him with guilt whenever he visits Twilight Town, nothing to surge to fill his veins when he fights one of the Organization members or Nobodies. It's like Roxas has disappeared from within him, and suddenly Sora wishes once again for the days when he felt moody and angry over things he didn't know the reason for, wishes for the days when it was apparent that there was someone else inside him.

Because now, Sora can't tell where Roxas ends and where Sora begins and they merge and interchange and maybe Sora wouldn't feel so confused if he knew who he was still.

 _~fin~_

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 **A/N:** hey and in a stunning turn of events i am back with more KH drabbles because I lack inspiration for other fandoms!

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thanks for reading! i appreciate it. sorry i'm not all that active guys. if you would like to ask me about fic or remind me about my multi-chapters when I forget, please drop me a message on tumblr, under literally-in-too-many-fandoms!

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a sneak preview of (probably) the next drabble, Gravitation:

* * *

 _Magnet is the hardest spell to get right. Not to cast—"It's easy to make the spark that draws everything together, just like Lightning," Sora had told her, teeth flashing in his grin—but to modify, to make it work, it's the hardest._

 _She's not the best at magic—Kairi is the first to admit it; unless it's light magic, she's only mediocre, unlike Sora, who's got all the basic spells down pat and has seemingly unending MP, and unlike Riku, who's every cast is double the power of a usual spell and who knows dark magic like the back of his hand. Even Lea has quicker casts than she does. Kairi can summon fire and ice on command, can catch a Heartless in a Stop spell, can even Cure decently in a pinch, but she's no mage, and they all know it._

 _And Magnet is the hardest spell to get right._


	10. Tough Love (Wayfinder trio, College AU)

Aqua:

"Wait, Ven—what?"

He did not stop, and Aqua let him drag her out of the desk chair. She wasn't going to resist him, not with the puppy face he was all-too adept at adopting. Ven managed to grab her shoulders and with this leverage, pull her all the way back into the dorms—wait, it was already four? Aqua hadn't even noticed the clock since noon—and had opened the door and, before Aqua started resisting. He then completely gave up on the niceties and, wrapping his arms around her waist, yanked her into her half-made bed.

"Ven, _Ven_ , what are you doing?"

He finally stopped moving once he'd wrapped around her like an octopus, with her blanket flung over them both. "You're very sleepy."

"What."

Aqua blinked at him, her brain finally catching up. There still was a half-finished essay on her laptop back in the lounge, and an entire chapter of her Civics left to read, and she had RA duties before the weekend.

"You." Ven somehow pulled her pillow close enough that he could put his spiky head on it. "Are." He snuggled into the blanket deeper, and closed his eyes dramatically. "Sleeping." And with that, Ven started to fake-snore.

"Veeen," Aqua moaned, and got her arm up to push him away, but was quickly stopped as Ven took advantage of the muscles he'd developed as pitcher to grab the hand and shushed her, "Shhh, we're sleeping."

"I literally have an essay due _tomorrow_."

"But we're sleeping."

"Ven." He opened his eyes, evidently tipped off by the fact that Aqua let her _stressed-finals-week_ voice out, and his gaze met hers.

"Look, I asked Tifa and she said you slept in the lounge last night and sleeping on the desk does _not_ count as actual rest." Aqua cursed her roommate silently, deciding to ignore the fact that she'd ratted Tifa out to Cloud less than a week before for the same thing. _Turnabout is fair play,_ she grudgingly admitted. "So, I need my afternoon nap, and your bed is much more comfortable than mine, and since Terra is still in Germany, I have to be the one to drag you away from the real world."

Aqua scowled, but relaxed anyway into the bed, her headache still building. If coffee hadn't made the ache behind her temples go away as she'd hoped, then she knew, logically, the only thing left was sleep—though she'd only roomed with Aerith for one semester, the pre-med senior had told her more than her fair share of medical knowledge. So yes, she did have an essay, and she needed to plan for the next wing event, but…

When she didn't protest, Ven closed his eyes again. And he was right—Terra _would_ have noticed far before him that Aqua wasn't sleeping well, but as he was in Germany there was no one to call her out on her crazy schedule. And she didn't even have any classes with Professor Eraqus this semester, who was the only professor who ever noticed when she mixed up assignments out of tiredness. And it wasn't like she could get out of Ven's grasp without hurting him—or herself, Aqua realized, because he actually might have gotten stronger than her at some point, due to his baseball practice.

So she stopped resisting Ventus' arms and made her shoulders relax.

She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep til she'd woken up, only two hours later but feeling like a new person, with no Ven in sight but a post-it note on her desk that said in his scrawled handwriting " _You're welcome"._

* * *

Terra:

"I have not seen you eat a vegetable in a week."

Terra flinched, and looked up. Aqua was standing there, Ven hovering beside her, in the opening of the bookshelf aisle. He realized suddenly that he'd been in the library since 8am, at least. Even the other finals-laden senior—a red-haired student with tattoos who Terra blearily thought was one of Roxas' friends but couldn't get his mind to remember his name—who had occupied the floor with him that day had disappeared. _It must be dinnertime_ , Terra realized, because _no one_ else was anywhere in sight. His stomach gave a rumble at the thought.

"How about..." Aqua continued, "I make you a proper dinner?"

Ven gave him a look that said _you'd better_. His expression told Terra that Aqua's polite smile was her _I will personally force you if you do not listen to me_ glare and not her _I'm trying to be nice_ expression. So he blinked and tried to get his mind to focus, get some evidence to prove Aqua wrong. He'd had… ramen, yesterday. For both meals. And, on Wednesday, he'd… what _had_ Terra eaten on Wednesday? Was that the day he'd gotten by on a protein bar and a cookie from US History 103? No, that had been Tuesday. Wednesday, he'd eaten the last frozen mac'n'cheese. Then Monday… yeah, okay, he actually _hadn't_ had a proper meal in over a week, and he realized then that he'd let the silence stretch and Aqua's eyebrow was creeping up into her _Mom-friend mode engaged_ face. And Ven was starting to look seriously scared for Terra's health.

"I… I am fine, Aqua, I don't know what you're talking about," Terra bluffed, his voice a little croaker than usual after hours of nonuse, but he could still fool her, he thought. "I totally have had a, a _vegetable_ , this week. Two, even."

The eyebrow was fully raised now, into the imminent doom spectrum, bordering on _I will call your parents_ but not quite to _I will call Braig and make him drag you into an emergency room_ , which Terra had unfortunately been on the receiving end of. He knew she didn't believe him.

"And, anyway," Terra hurried to add, "even if I _hadn't_ , it's not necessarily _unhealthy_ to live off ramen…" Ventus was shaking his head frantically—he too knew they had crossed into danger zone as Aqua started crossing her arms.

"Nope," Aqua cut him off, and, without another word, strode over and slammed his books shut. When he started protesting, she grabbed the other books and his bag and took them away too.

Terra looked back to Ven in exasperation, hoping for some sympathy, but Ven just shook his head, his face too composed to be anything other than hiding laughter, and he came up behind Terra and pulled the headphones out of his ears for him. They were ganging up on him. That just wasn't fair.

So Aqua grabbed his bag and all his stuff without another word, suppressing her glares, and led the way out of the library without looking behind her to be sure they followed. Terra wasn't going to follow, even though she'd taken his study materials, just to spite her—but Ven literally pulled the chair out from under him. From the floor, Terra glared and made some half-baked threats, but Ventus just laughed and dragged him after Aqua.

And, okay, yes, it did ease the sliminess in Terra's veins when Aqua put her home-cooked meal in front of him and didn't stop glaring until every green speck on the plate was gone.

* * *

Ven:

"Ven, I hate to break it to you," Terra grabbed him during the seventh inning, having conned his way into the bullpen somehow, "But you look terrible."

"Wow, rude," Roxas, who was standing nearby, said on Ven's behalf, as his twin was too busy hacking a lung to respond. Ven nodded thanks at him when he could breathe again, and glared at Terra in turn.

Terra held up his hands, "Wrong phrasing. You do look as handsome as ever," he made sure to glance at Roxas, who shrugged the compliment away, "but also super sick."

"He's not wrong, Vee." Roxas nudged him, and Ven was about to deliver a striking comeback but was brought up short by a sneeze, which was explosive enough to get the attention of Coach Cid, who glared at them for a second before going back to cussing out the outfielder. "Traitor," he gasped, but then turned back to Terra, wiping his nose on a towel, "And you're totally wrong. I'm not—" he paused to sneeze _"_ —sick."

Terra and Roxas both gave him a _I'm not buying it_ look.

"I am fine!" Ven held his nose, proud when the itching to sneeze again faded, and grinned at Terra to get him to leave him alone. This wasn't a major game or anything, and sure, their other pitcher was more than up to snuff today, but Ven wasn't about to step out. He'd be over the bug in a day or two. Yes, it was lasting longer than usual, but this cold was nothing, really. Or so he told himself.

"Uh-huh." Terra grabbed the glove from beside Ven, who squawked in alarm, and tried to grapple it back only to realize that the brunet could overpower him easily, which was unusual. Ven looked to Roxas for help, but his twin just shrugged. He knew what Ro was saying. _You never let me help you, so I'm not gonna stop him from doing so._ He stuck his tongue out at him. Roxas shrugged and went back to watching the game.

"Yo, Coach," Terra called next, and Ven flinched as Cid looked over, scowl in place and cigarette hanging out just as picturesquely. "What, you intruder?"

"I'm stealing your other pitcher," was Terra's response as he grabbed Ven's bag too, and any protestations Ven might've gotten out between coughs was lost as Cid barked a laugh and said, "Good riddance. His hacking is distracting to my other players!"

"Coach!" Ven whined, but the older man had gone back to watching the field in time to chew out Tidus, who had stumbled.

"See ya," called Demyx, who was lounging against the wall as usual, and none of the other team members protested as Ven was, in essence, kidnapped from in their midst.

"Roxas, you're supposed to be on my side!"

But his brother just raised a hand in farewell, didn't even look back at Ven, and said, "Thanks, Terra.

"You are all horrible people." Ven called, as Terra dragged him, physically, out of the pen.

He couldn't find it in himself to complain, though, because after Terra had bodily thrown him into bed and called Aqua to bring her patented feel-good chicken soup and forced Ven to eat the whole bowl before he left, Ven really _did_ feel better.

...

 _~fin~_

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm really feeling this fic on a spiritual level, now that midterms are upon me and my friends have already had to drag me to bed so i don't stay up too late on multiple occasions

(can you tell that this wasn't edited at all)(because i can)

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Thanks for reading, guys! Sorry I've been so inactive, but I'm finally mostly adjusted to full-time college life and hopefully I'll be posting more soon!

have a blessed day


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